


Lie me a River

by RedBirdBella



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Clint Barton is a poor mans Tony Stark, F/M, He couldnt care for a pot plant let alone a human child, Howard stark has the emotional range of a rotten potato, Iron Man 2, Natasha Feels, Protective Natasha Romanov, SO, She like genuinely cares and actually gets to talk to tony about it, She tries to right her wrongs, Tony Needs a Hug, Tony has PTSD, Tony should really clear his internet history, but hey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-09
Updated: 2019-06-09
Packaged: 2020-04-23 17:48:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19155913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedBirdBella/pseuds/RedBirdBella
Summary: When Phil Coulson is called out to New Mexico before he can arrive to babysit Tony, Natasha is left in charge of the hungover billionaire. Without the watchful eye of Fury, she gets the chance to have the heart to heart with Tony the films were missing.





	Lie me a River

36 hours.

36 damn long hours and somehow Natasha had only just managed to pull herself into bed for the last 3. She should still be sleeping. She should be, so why the hell wasn’t she? A groan and a moment’s heavy-lidded sweep of her room showed no sign of a break in.

Good.

Then she heard it, the whimpering, the noises of disgust and distress. Followed by the shuffling of frantic awkward movements across fabric. Fine. His bed would be just as comfortable.

She ties a robe around her sleep clothes and follows the sounds through the dark, “Clint! Your dreaming.” She calls keeping her voice calm and soothing. She finds him curled up on the sofa, the rooms large TV lighting them up with a cool glow. It’s enough to pick out a silhouette and possibly a few features if he wasn’t curled away from her packed tightly into the foetal position murmuring softly.

Natasha ducks down to what she assumes is eye-level letting out a low pitched “shh, you’re alright”. Rubbing a sudden wave of sleepiness from her eyes she focuses in on the figure as another wave of thrashing seizes them knocking a cushion onto the floor by her feet.

“Come on back to your bed. This sofa isn’t big enough for the both of us. Wake up, you’re alright” She pulls back on her haunches taking in the room, it’s familiar yet sets off a low hum of discontent in her gut. She can’t focus on that however as a gasp draws her attention.

“C'mon Clint it’s Tasha. You’re fine, come back to me”

The body on the sofa murmurs something and Natasha’s brow furrows involuntarily, “I get it bird brain your tired. We’re both tired. So, let’s just go to bed.”

“Bird Brain? I think you’re on the wrong mission Agent Romanoff”

Aw crap.

“Tony” Natasha sighs. Right. The mission, that would explain a lot.

“I think that should be Mr Stark now don’t you?” He turns to face her breathing still ragged.

She meets his gaze undeterred by its hardness, “I’m sorry.”

“Apology not accepted” Ouch.

Of course. How could she have expected anything else?

She was getting sloppy, getting attached, this was just a job and not a very nice one at that. He was right, she didn’t mean it. A thousand times over she’d have broken his trust. His life was worth more than objecting to the ambiguous ethics. Worth more than his friendship. Still hurt like a bitch though.

“I saved your life today”

“That’s not an excuse. You used me, you used everyone around me, and you expect me to keep your secret?!”

“Ton- Mr Stark its way too late and your still too hungover to be discussing this”

Tony sighs pushing himself up and into Natasha’s hand as she quickly checks his pupil’s cheek cushioned in her palm. Protect the Asset Fury had said. Should be easy he said. She hadn’t asked who she was protecting the Asset from, apparently, it was from himself. 

“Who’s Clint?” Tony’s growl jolts her out of her daydream.

“A friend. Has PTSD and a crappy dad. Parents died in a car crash. I think you’d get along” His pupils were holding steady.

Tony glares pulling away from her hand. Oh. Well. At least the lithium dioxide was working “I’m so sorry Tony but you really need to sleep”

“You were employed to do a job Ms Rushman. That job was not to be my mother”

Natasha raises her eyebrows, “You woke me with your nightmares. What did you expect me to do?”

“You’re a piece of work aren’t you! You started this. You brought him back into my home.”

“Tony” she murmurs “I never wanted this. I’m sorry but I do truly care about you.”

The black widow lets the words “You’re not just my mission” die before Natasha can let them escape. Too cliche. 

“Do you believe you’re a good person? That your the hero in all this, trying to save the rich kid who’s in over his head, can’t cut it with the big boys. well I didn’t see your lot when I was stuck in that damned cave”

Natasha softens her stance sitting back down in the warmth Tonys left on the sofa.

“I try to be and that all that matters. I’ve made a lot of mistakes; I’d like to put some of them right. We know what your capable of Mr Stark that’s why we need people like you” She looks up meeting his gaze again, “So let’s go to bed Tony. You should sleep. It’ll help counteract the symptoms”

“So, you’re no longer just keeping me alive your babysitting me!?”

“call it a complimentary service?”

Tony huffs leaning over to use the keypad on the table, turning on the lights.

“Look, I know what it’s like to be alone. I know what’s like to be betrayed. I don’t know what it’s like to have ass for a father. I never had one, but I know someone who did and I’m sorry Tony. I am so sorry. What I did it wasn’t personal it was a job, but I’m not on the job now- I just know what it feels like to be alone”

Tony looks at her for a second, “And what’s your next magic cure? What can you do to make this better?”

“Tony-“

“I thought I told you, if you want to play your little game running around being Miss Rushman or whoever the hell you want to be this week I’ll play along I’ll even try and make this imaginary element but if that is what you want then it’s Mr Stark from now on” Tony shouts making his way over to the wrecked bar.

“That’s not a good idea Mr Stark.” Natasha says softly following him over. “Lithium dioxide was untested with alcohol assumption.”

He pauses considering his options “What do you suggest then? All of you think you know my father better than me. Paint him out to be a person I don’t remember and maybe I don’t. Maybe your right. I never really knew him cause he never wanted me. He didn’t want to know me. But tell me again how he’s a hero. I damn well wish he was mine”

Natasha pushes her hand down firmly on top of the cracked whiskey bottle he’s chosen before he can steal the shots directly from the bottle destroyed glasses laying discarded in the corner. The contact is startling but not unwanted and Natasha can feel him tremoring, it would be easy to take the bottle from him like this. Too easy. She brushes her fingertips against his relaxing her grip enough to earn his attention.

“I’m not going to be a dick and say he loved you. Cause he didn’t. Not enough. Not in the right way. He was a grown man and he should have owned his actions and the way he made you feel the way he made you responsible for the way he felt. You deserved better and you have it. Peppers an amazing woman. She deserves to have you fit and well.” 

Natasha sighs tension returning to her shoulders before continuing,

"I guess what I’m trying to say is he thought he loved you, but he didn’t he loved the idea of you. Thought he was doing what was best for you. Sometimes people are wrong but that doesn’t change their motives. He did care for you. Look at me. He did care but I believe you too. Some people’s idea of love is messed up.” She checks he’s still listening even if he won’t allow her the eye contact. 

“Your dad just wanted you to be better then him and you are. He was an arsehole. Your just an ass. Make the element, not for him but for the people who truly love you”

He scoffs but doesn’t protest, just hangs his head unable to take in the remains of last nights celebration.

“Mr Stark is the most insufferable man I’ve ever met. Tony is a good man he just needs to stop thinking with this.” She taps Tony’s arc reactor lightly. “It’ll kill you. Rightly or wrongly, I’m the closest thing to psychiatric help that you’ll let in this place. I know what I have to say- you admire your father too much Tony. Admiring people only makes them let you down. He was a man caught in the past caught up with his greatest invention he missed what was his greatest creation. He was capable of a great many things. He’s not the angel you imagine he was- but he isn’t the demon you describe either. He was a Stark. An arrogant and obsessive narcissist but his heart was in the right place. You should learn from that. You can learn from that. Let him teach you.”

“that’s one helluva speech. Didn’t see that on your resume. Maybe you are picking something up from legal after all.”

“Go to Bed Mr Stark,” Natasha says softly hands holding the top of Tony’s shoulders, “You have to change the world tomorrow”

“Nightcap Ms Rushman?” 

A million different words dance on her lips but she settles for the simplest, “You shouldn’t be drinking,” Natasha says mimicking her best Pepper face.

Tony smirks tightening his grip on the whisky for a second before pushing it away, “Should I be worried that Fury seems to know about my preference for domineering red-heads?”

“Well for a genius it’s ridiculously easy to access your internet history” 

She takes his hand and leads him back to her room right to the edge of the bed. He looks at her sadly, eyes sparking up with disappointment “Natasha if you’re trying to make me feel better-“

“Don’t flatter yourself, you’re not my type. But i saw enough earlier to guess that you shouldn’t be sleeping alone right now. Right or Left?”

Tony hesitates before moving to hover by the left side.

“Did you mean it?”

“What?”

“When I asked you how you would spend your last birthday?”

“I’m a spy Tony, I live every day like it’s my last. I never had much and what I did have always changed. I don’t wallow in what I can’t have. I don’t need to look behind me when I have someone watching my back”

“But did you tell the truth?“

She nods sad smile growing on her face, "you should have taken my advice”

“Is Pepper OK?” Tony asks eventually sitting on the edge of the bed.

“She enjoys being the boss, she could run STARK industries blindfolded if you didn’t distract her” Natasha says with a smirk. “She obviously adores you, but you’re not the man she fell in love with at the moment. You should tell her Tony”

“What just call her up and say what Hi Pep, sorry about last night and how that tanked the stock price and the companies reputation but yep I’m dying. Plutonium poisoning. Nasty stuff. anyway, enjoy the press conference to explain that once I’ve kicked the bucket. I’ll see you tomorrow-” Tony mutters with a sigh “I need to do it right- for once” 

Natasha slowly gets into bed watching the cogs whir as the famous mechanic searches for answers. 

“Do you enjoy it here? Working with legal?” Tony asks to fill the silence. 

“It’s tolerable although you seem determined to make it as trying as possible”

“Missing that “friend” What was his name?! Clint wasn’t it. If we’re going to have a sleepover, I think it’s fair that we both talk about our crushes.” 

“I know 8 Ways to murder you just with my thighs don’t make me invent a 9th”

Tony scoffs and the tension from earlier melts away like the distance between them as he crawls into bed.

“Is now a good time to mention that I saw your modelling photos” Natasha rolls her eyes and smirks.

“Go to sleep Mr Stark.” She whispers unable to keep the affection from her voice, she turns off the light enjoying the comfort of the dark.

“Is that a yes Ms Rushman?”

“Goodnight Tony”

“Night Agent Romanoff”


End file.
